Hungary's ruling Fidesz party, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has postponed indefinitely the ratification of Sweden's NATO membership. This move unfolded during an extraordinary session of the Plenary, which was convened specifically at the request of the opposition to deal with this critical issue, as reported by the novinite.com
The parliament chamber appeared almost empty, with Fidesz members boycotting the proceedings. In particular, ambassadors from various NATO countries, including the US, Poland and Denmark, attended the meeting as guests. This marked a strong diplomatic gesture, putting substantial pressure on Budapest not to further delay the decision.
The ruling Fidesz party, which holds an absolute majority in parliament, has delayed Sweden's bid from July 2022, arguing that Swedish politicians have "blatantly lied" about the state of democracy in Hungary
The ratification process, which could only begin during the regular parliamentary session scheduled for February 26 at the earliest, is now shrouded in uncertainty. The subject of Sweden's NATO membership is conspicuously absent from the current parliamentary agenda.
Earlier today, a statement from Fidesz reiterated the government's stance on the issue, stressing that if Sweden considers the issue so critical, then its prime minister should visit Budapest. That statement alludes to an earlier lack of commitment by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to schedule a visit before Hungary ratifies Sweden's NATO membership.
Diplomatic tension escalated last week when Kristersson, after meeting Orbán in Brussels, revealed that he had not been offered a specific date for a visit and questioned the necessity of such a visit before Sweden officially joins NATO. Instead, the US embassy urged Hungary to act immediately, stressing that Prime Minister Orbán had promised that Hungary would act "at the earliest opportunity."
The unexpected delay drew strong reactions from opposition MPs during the Parliament session. Opposition MP Máté Kanász-Nagy expressed his displeasure, describing Fidesz's continued blocking of Sweden's admission as "extremely unpleasant". Agnes Vandai of the opposition Democratic Coalition accused Orban of undermining NATO unity by favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin.
CONTINUE READING
And Poland is preparing for war with Russia! Defense Minister: We are preparing for the worst
Ambassadors present at the meeting declined to comment during the proceedings, leaving observers to await their reactions after the session, which could shed light on the broader diplomatic implications of Hungary's decision.
After Turkey's parliament voted to approve Sweden's accession in January, Hungary remained the last of the military alliance's 31 members not to do so, leading its allies to press the nationalist government to hold the vote without delay. Orban told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last month that he would urge his party to ratify the nomination "at the earliest possible opportunity."
